Your travels bring you, at last, to the beautiful city of Burgos – the starting point of your Camino. Check in at your hotel, and enjoy the rest of your day! Burgos offers a plethora of attractions to explore, and touring its UNESCO-listed Cathedral alone make take a couple of hours. Our tip: take a quick hike up to the Mirador del Castillo (only 7-10 min. from the Cathedral Plaza) for an absolutely gorgeous panoramic view of the Cathedral and the Old Town. And doing so at sunset / twilight may be even more rewarding than at daytime.

Today’s journey is both rather short and quite easy, so there is no need to rush out of Burgos too early. As you leave the city behind, you now officially enter la Meseta – the Castilian High Plain – characterized by wide-open spaces with occasional hills. Trees become more scarce, and distances between villages seem larger as the landscape seems more monotonous. In the middle of today’s journey, at Rabé de las Calzadas, the quaint little Chapel Ermita de la Virgen de Monasterio is well-worth a stop: the kind nuns in attendance give a lovely and touching blessing to all pilgrims who pass by. Take some time to admire the impressive murals on the outskirts of this village – they are among the best on the whole Camino. Beyond that, up and over a few hills, you will find yourself enjoying the impressive panoramic views down the valley and for as far as your eyes can see – the true beauty of the Meseta. Down below the valley lies the pretty Hornillos del Camino with the typical flair of a Meseta village along the Camino de Santiago.

Distance: 19.5 km. (12.1 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

The first 11 km. (6.8 mi.) of this day’s hike take you across the low, barren hills with no villages in-between. The only place to stop and rest in the shade is San Bol – in the middle ages, a hospice that treated people with leprosy had once stood here; now, there is a thicket of trees and a small pool with clean, running water. After more hills and grasslands, the charming village of Hontanas with surprise you as it pops out of nowhere. The rest of the journey mostly follows a road with trees and songs of many different birds that nest in them. Be sure to stop and look around the ruins of the old Augustinian monastery of San Antón before reaching the end of today’s stage – Castrojeriz. The Camino traverses this whale-shaped town for over 1.5 km. (1 mi.) and Castrojeriz is a true jewel of the Camino! Some of the many places to explore here will be seen as you enter it: the former Collegiate Church of Santa María, the ruins of the medieval castle („Castro“ – hence the town’s name) nested atop the hill. In the town center and right on the Camino also lies the magical „Hospital de Alma“ – the Hospital for the Soul – which is very much worth paying a visit to.

Distance: 21.5 km. (13.4 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

Soon after leaving Castrojeriz, the terrain will surprise you with a lengthier ascent up the Table Mountain called Alto de Mostelares – once you reach the summit, enjoy the magnificent panorama with the farewell view of Castrojeriz below. An absolute highlight is the famous medieval chapel of San Nicolás and, just a short distance away, the imposing bridge over the river Pisuerga, which also demarcates the border between the Provinces of Burgos and Palencia. The Camino then leads you on across open Meseta landscapes into the quaint village Boadilla del Camino. If you are an early riser, you will enjoy the concerts that morning birds nested under the roof of the church will perform for you.

Distance: 19.3 km. (12 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

The beginning of today’s stage is particularly beautiful as you will be walking right next to the Canal de Castilla – set out at dawn, and enjoy the mysterious vistas of the fog above its waters.  Once you reach the town of Frómista, be sure to visit the Romanesque Church of San Martín – one of the finest pieces of medieval architecture on the entire Camino Francés. The Camino follows the highway into Población de Campos: from here, you can continue on along the road, or opt to turn right and walk past Villovieco along the bed of the River Ucieza – a slightly longer, but much more quiet and peaceful walk which we recommend. Both Ways converge again as you reach Villalcázar de Sirga, today’s destination. Be sure to visit the impressive 13-century Church Santa María la Blanca: its construction demonstrates elements of transition between Romanesque and Gothic periods, and this constituted part of the monastery of the Knights Templar.

Distance: 19.2 km. (11.9 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

After the first 6 km. (3,7 mi.) of walking along the highway, you will reach the beautiful town Carrión de los Condes. At the end of town, you will cross the River Carrión over another stunning medieval bridge: walk off to the right to enjoy a lovely view of it. Just beyond, the Camino takes you past the magnificent, renaissance Monastery San Zoilo. Beyond that, the Meseta flattens out almost entirely. After some 6 km (3.7 mi.) of walking on a path rimmed with trees, the Camino will unfold before you – arguably – the most stunning stretch of the Meseta: you will be walking straight ahead on this endless, treeless highland all the way until you reach Calzadilla de la Cueza, which will hid from your sight in a small valley until the very end.

Distance: 22.4 km. (13.9 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

Beyond Calzadilla, the landscape will not be as flat as before, and the Camino will wind around, taking you into and out of a number of small, delightful, typical Meseta-villages. If you’ve never been to The Shire, you will see your first Hobbit House as you enter Moratinos – you can walk up on top of it for a lovely 360 view. The terrain will continue to get somewhat hillier, and the Camino will cross the next Provinces border: you will step out of Palencia and into León. Soon thereafter, you will walk into Sahagún – a more populous town with an appealing historic center and famous brick churches built in the Mudéjar-Style. Sahagún is also the official half-way point of the Camino Frances, and pilgrims can obtain here a Certificate of Completion of the first half of their Way

Distance: 22.4 km. (13.9 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

At the edge of Sahagún, another scenic medieval bridge takes you over the River Cea and after 4 km. (2,5 mi.) the Camino splits. The option on the left is shorter, but it follows along the highway. We recommend turning right and into Calzada de Coto offers a much more scenic hiking on the high Meseta plains along the historic Roman road Calzada Romana, where one can often walk in complete solitude. Passing the lovely, quiet village of Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, one will eventually have to turn left towards the bridge to El Burgo Ranero – the day’s final destination – entering it from the north. Enjoy the peace and quiet of this sleepy village and the tasty, hearty local food.

Distance: 20.1 km. (12.5 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

Leaving El Burgo Ranero, you could walk back over the bridge to the Calzada Romana, but this time, we recommend staying with the option of walking along the road. Here, the shaded path is pleasant, and crossing the hilly Meseta landscape is easy. Enjoy the wide-open spaces and the few villages along the way until you reach today’s destination: Mansilla de las Mulas, which earned its name from the famous cattle markets that used to be held here (Mulas = cattle). Mansilla has a small but charming old town center worth taking the time to enjoy and relax in. However, it is also worth it to walk towards the end of town – like in many places before, a lovely medieval bridge is situated on the western edge of town, and you can spend quality time right next to it, on the shaded banks of the River Esla.

Distance: 19.3 km. (12 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

Today’s journey is easy, though not the most scenic – particularly the last half of it suggests that you will soon be entering a big city. But the reward is awaiting ahead: once you reach the historic city center of León, its beauty will cast a spell on you! Similar to Burgos, León is another logical place to consider taking a „day off“ – the amount of things to explore and sights to see can otherwise seem overwhelming. Paying a visit to the Cathedral, the Church of San Isídoro and the Parador is a must, but just as rewarding is simply getting lost in the labyrinth of the narrow streets of the Old Town’s Barrio Húmedo – the „Humid District“ – which has earned this name because of (tapas-) bars beyond count that are situated here. Treat yourself to a drink or snack at the upstairs restaurant terrace of the Hotel NiMú Azotea, from where you can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of León.

Farewell,León; farewell, Camino – and safe travels on your journey back home or to your next adventure! Or, here is another option well-worth considering: to continue onto our next Part 5 of the Camino; from León to Sarria.

¡Buen Camino!